Dual Stage Amplification Tiger Buffer MK1

Dual Stage Amplification Tiger Buffer MK1

The Dual Stage Amplification Tiger Buffer MK1 is a handmade unity-gain buffer built in New Haven, CT, based on the buffer Jerry Garcia carried inside his Doug Irwin “Tiger” guitar. Every cable and pedal between your guitar and amp drains a little of the signal: some top end, some clarity, some life. Garcia’s onboard buffer helped keep his tone clear and present through his effects and long cable runs. The Tiger Buffer does the same job on your board. Put it first in the chain, and it passes along exactly what your guitar gives it, at the same level, every night.

Under the hood is John Cutler’s circuit design, built with modern low-noise components chosen to hold their spec instead of drifting with age. The original used an LF356 chip. The Tiger Buffer uses a TL061 instead, which handled pickup transients even more smoothly than the original chip in the builder’s bench testing. The TL061 also draws very little current, about 3 mA, which makes the Tiger Buffer a good fit for onboard effects loop (OBEL) rigs.

There are no knobs or switches, so there’s nothing to set and nothing to forget. The wood enclosure has a tiger burned into the top. Whether you’re a Garcia devotee building a Dead-inspired rig, a player running a big pedalboard and long cables who wants the top end back, or an OBEL player who needs a buffer that sips power, the Tiger Buffer MK1 keeps your signal whole. It is handmade in New Haven, CT. Order today from Brian’s Guitars.

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